The invention concerns a loading system for an aircraft and a method for conveying a piece of cargo on a cargo deck.
For air freight transport, the pieces of cargo to be transported, in particular containers or pallets which are preferably produced to specific standards, are secured in the hold by means of lock elements on the cargo deck of the hold. Such lock elements frequently form cargo loading tracks between which the standardised pieces of cargo can be positioned. To position the pieces of cargo at the positions provided for them, loading systems are used which support the ground staff during loading and unloading. The loading systems are intended to accelerate the loading and unloading process and frequently have a multiplicity of actuators and sensors and a control computer which is adapted to analyse the signals received, where applicable emit signals, and implement a suitable strategy for the actuators. The loading systems used must be very simple to operate since the ground staff frequently receive no instructions concerning a specific loading system. In addition both the loading and unloading take place under great pressure of time, whereby incorrect operation can easily occur. Such incorrect operation must absolutely be prevented.
A defective loading system—either due to incorrect operation or due to natural wear—can lead to substantial costs since maintaining wide-bodied aircraft is very expensive. Every minute which a wide-bodied aircraft spends on the ground costs the operator money. Furthermore a defective cargo loading system or incorrect operation can for example lead to damage to sections of the cargo hold. Repair of the cargo hold is very costly.
Frequently pieces of cargo are loaded on a cargo deck which have dimensions such that it is necessary to rotate the pieces of cargo, in particular in the region close to the door. The region close to the door, here also called the loading and unloading region, is for this reason fitted with particular function elements, comprising cargo conveying devices (e.g. PDUs or power drive units) and roller mats. There are various strategies for achieving the rotation of the pieces of cargo in the physically very restricted loading and unloading region. Corresponding cargo loading systems or loading systems for rotating pieces of cargo are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,655, DE 10 2005 008 443 B4, DE 10 2005 021 078 B4, DE 10 2008 052 468 A1 and DE 101 58 298 C1.
Thus for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,655 discloses a loading system for an aircraft which comprises a control computer and a multiplicity of cargo conveying devices communicatively connected with the control computer. The control computer actuates the cargo conveying devices such that the pieces of cargo are positioned suitably on the cargo loading deck. Furthermore the control computer allows rapid and simple unloading. The control computer is also in communicative connection with an input device, namely a panel with a multiplicity of buttons and a joystick which enables the user to undertake the loading and unloading process manually. The proposed input device can only be actuated with difficulty when wearing the gloves prescribed for loading and unloading. Furthermore operation of the input device is not necessarily intuitive, so that the users must be trained accordingly.
Starting from U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,655, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved loading system which in particular can be operated easily and intuitively and which guarantees an at least partially automatic loading and unloading of pieces of cargo. This object is achieved by a loading system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 10.
In particular the object is achieved by a loading system for an aircraft which comprises:
a control computer;
a multiplicity of cargo conveying devices for conveying a piece of cargo on a cargo loading deck of an aircraft, wherein to control the cargo conveying devices the control computer is communicatively connected with the cargo conveying devices;
at least one input device which is communicatively connected with the control computer to transfer user inputs to the control computer.
A central concept of the present invention is to form the input device in the form of a touchscreen.
To this extent it is possible to make inputs comfortably directly on a screen using the fingers. The elements displayed on the touchscreen can be modified depending on the loading phase (e.g. loading or unloading) to increase the user comfort. Furthermore a touchscreen allows the display of decisive information while at the same time functioning as an input device. This can help avoid incorrect operation.
The cargo loading system can comprise sensor devices to detect an actual position of the piece of cargo to be loaded. For example by means of sensor devices, it can be established where a piece of cargo is located on or in relation to the cargo deck. The sensor devices can for example report to the control computer that a portion of the piece of cargo has just passed the cargo loading hatch, so that from this information the control computer can determine the actual position of the piece of cargo.
This is particularly advantageous if the touchscreen is formed and/or controlled by the control computer such that the touchscreen shows at least an outline of the piece of cargo. The user of the loading system can then, by means of the touchscreen, select the piece of cargo or a portion of the piece of cargo and/or specify at least one transport direction and/or conveyor track. Preferably the user input can also consist of the user, for example with his finger, selecting the outline of the piece of cargo shown on the touchscreen and then dragging it into a specific nominal position. Alternatively only portions of the outline of the piece of cargo are selected and moved using a finger. Preferably the control computer implements a suitable control strategy as a function of user input so that the piece of cargo is transported accordingly on the cargo deck by means of the cargo conveying devices. The specified transport direction need not necessarily correspond to a vector. Theoretically it is also possible to specify a curved track or similar.
The touchscreen can also be formed to detect at least two contact points simultaneously so that a user of the loading system can specify a rotation movement. For example it is possible to form the touchscreen such that it detects the coordinates of two fingers on the touchscreen and follows their movement over time. Thus rotation movements can be specified in a simple and efficient manner.
The control computer can be formed, taking into account user inputs, to calculate a transport strategy and actuate the cargo conveying device to implement the transport strategy. The control computer thus implements a movement specified on the touchscreen and/or a rotation of the piece of cargo by suitable control of the cargo conveying devices.
The control computer can also be formed to actuate the cargo conveying devices only as long as a contact by the user is detected by the touchscreen. Thus the user can for example specify a movement direction by means of a finger. The control computer then begins to actuate the conveying devices such that the piece of cargo is suitably moved and/or rotated on the cargo deck. The control computer can be formed such that it actuates the transport of the piece of cargo only until the target position specified by the user has been reached or the latter has removed his finger from the touchscreen. To this extent a safety mechanism can be implemented which allows rapid stoppage of the piece of cargo on the cargo deck in order to avoid damage to the aircraft or pieces of cargo, and/or danger to personnel.
Insofar as the touchscreen is formed to determine the coordinates of at least two contact points, actuation of the conveying devices can then be interrupted if only one finger is in contact with the touchscreen or no fingers are in contact with the touchscreen.
The touchscreen can be formed and/or controlled by the control computer such that the touchscreen displays at least a portion of the cargo loading deck so that a user of the loading system, by means of the touchscreen, can select at least one target position, in particular a cargo loading track. Preferably the loading system according to the invention supports a manual and an automatic loading of pieces of cargo. For automatic loading, the user merely specifies a target position, for example in the form of selection of a cargo loading track, wherein the control computer automatically develops a control strategy which leads to the piece of cargo being moved from its current position to the specified target position. On unloading, this target position can also lie outside the aircraft.
The loading system can comprise sensor devices to detect the type and/or a dimension of a piece of cargo, in particular the base surface of the piece of cargo. In one embodiment example the base surface can be measured for example on introduction into the aircraft and be taken into account by the control computer on development of a suitable control strategy. Alternatively corresponding dimensions can be stored in a digital memory on the piece of cargo, so that the dimensions can be read by the control computer. Furthermore it is possible to store identification numbers, which relate for example to the type of cargo, in or on the piece of cargo and compare these numbers with a database which provides the dimensions as a function of the identification number. It is conceivable to obtain by means of the sensor devices information relating to dimensions of the base surface of the piece of cargo. Secondly information can also be obtained which allows the generation of a three-dimensional image of the piece of cargo, so that a collision for example with the outer skin of the aircraft can be effectively avoided on loading or unloading of the piece of cargo.
The object cited initially is furthermore achieved by a method for conveying a piece of cargo on a cargo deck which comprises the following steps:
reception by a control computer of at least one user input entered by means of a touchscreen;
calculation of a control strategy as a function of the user input;
actuation of a number of cargo conveying devices according to the control strategy.
Similar advantages arise to those already discussed in connection with the device.
The method can also comprise reception by the control computer of a plurality of sensor signals to determine an actual position of the piece of cargo on the cargo deck, and display on the touchscreen of the actual position of the piece of cargo, in particular in relation to the design of at least one part of the cargo deck. For the user it is therefore possible to derive an actual position of the piece of cargo from the display on the touchscreen, and by suitable inputs specify a transport direction or transport strategy.
Preferably the actual position of the piece of cargo is updated in real time so that the user is always shown on the touchscreen the current position of the piece of cargo.
In one embodiment example, actuation of the number of cargo conveying devices can take place only as long as the touchscreen detects a contact by the user. As soon as the touchscreen establishes that the user is no longer touching this, transport of the piece of cargo can be stopped.
The method can comprise detection by at least one sensor device of a type and/or at least one dimension of the piece of cargo, and taking into account the type and/or dimension of the piece of cargo in calculation of the control strategy. For example the control computer can generate a digital image of the piece of cargo and develop a suitable control strategy which transports the piece of cargo from the current position into a nominal position specified by the user without collision with the aircraft. The user input can comprise a predefinition of an acceleration direction and an acceleration force, and from the user input the control computer can determine a transport direction and a transport time period. For example it is possible that by his input the user specifies a movement vector of a particular length. The control computer can then develop a control strategy to transport the piece of cargo in the specified direction. The distance over which the piece of cargo is transported in the specified direction can for example be determined as a function of the vector length. Preferably first a rapid transport of the piece of cargo takes place in the specified direction, wherein the speed diminishes slowly as the time increases so that the piece of cargo “rolls out” onto the cargo deck.
The above object is furthermore achieved by a loading system for an aircraft comprising a remote control to receive user inputs and a wireless communication interface to pass on the user inputs to a control computer.
Preferably the wireless communication is achieved at least by a transmission device on the remote control and a receiver device on the at least one cargo conveying device. Preferably this wireless communication takes place by means of light waves, in particular in the infrared range. The cargo conveying device for this can have corresponding photo diodes. These photo diodes can also be used as sensor means to detect the presence of a piece of cargo, in particular above the cargo conveying device. The sensor means thus fulfil a dual function, firstly as receiver and/or as transmitter, and secondly as a detection device.